CONTEST - Geowissenschaftliches Museum der Universität Göttingen

CONTESTDinosaur and landscape reconstruction „Lower Cretaceous(Berriasian) of Lower Saxony, North Germany“The Lower Saxony State Museum at Hannover and the Georg-August University ofGöttingen – supported by the Klosterkammer Hannover – announce a contest forskilled palaeo-artists in picturing one overview (panorama) of a palaeo-landscape aswell as one detail of dinosaurs within that landscape of the Lower Cretaceous of ourcountry. According to that task, we offerone first prize for a panorama of the local Berriasian landscape(with a few dinosaurs in the background)one first prize for a detailed reconstruction of the “Chicken Yard”(dinosaurs detailed and in foreground)one second prize(either panorama or detail)one third prize(either panorama or detail)2.000 Euro1.500 Euro1.000 Euro600 EuroExceptional dinosaur track discoveries in the region have given reason for largescaledigging activities (2008-2010), then an international symposium (2011) andnow (2012) the first steps towards a special book edition as well to a major exhibitionat our museum. Thus, rich and detailed illustrations are needed to convey thepalaeohistory of the area.The “Chicken Yard” surface, overview

One of the “Chicken Yard” theropod tracksWe advertise under the following scientific guidelines:We are looking for photorealistic reconstructions of a panoramic view of theBerriasian landscape of southern Lower Saxony (A; see appendix 1) and of a specificsite called the “Chicken Yard” from the Obernkirchen Sandstone Quarries (B; seeappendix 2).Situation A (panorama of Berriasian landscape): The dinosaur track bearing depositsrepresent an open, fluvio-lacustrine landscape between a large lake (foreground) anda central hinterland (background). The slow-flowing river drains a shallow, widevalley, which is incised into a low-relief hinterland. The meandering river isaccompanied by floodplains, covered by lakes and swamps. Within the valley andalong the lake-shore the vegetation forms dense gallery forests, while the upland inthe background is covered by a more open, savannah-like vegetation.The river enters the lake by forming a large delta plain and splits up into numerouschannels. Areas between the channels may be densely vegetated but in areas ofyoung and active channels extensive sandy flats show only sparse, shrub-likevegetation. Some areas of the delta plain are occupied by lakes and swamps. Theriver mouth is situated at the margin of a calm lagoon that is separated from the open

lake by a coast-parallel, low, sandy barrier that may be indented by storm-erodedgaps and wash-over fans protruding into the lagoon. This barrier is only sparsely andpatchily vegetated. Some parts may be older and stabilized as islands with incipientforest coverage and swamp vegetation on the lagoonal shore and a beach towardsthe open lake. Dinosaurs may use this barrier as a bypass during shoreline-parallelmigrations.The “Upper Layer”, showing the water-filled iguanodontid tracksSituation B (detail of “Chicken Yard”): The local situation, to be depicted in the detailreconstruction, is a part of the delta plain located near the mouth of one or morechannels into the lagoon. The shallow channels are partly active and partlyabandoned, the latter either dried up or occasional oxbow lakes formed in them. Thechannels are separated by flat sandy mouth bars which may be “fresh” (withoutvegetation and covered by sedimentary textures, predominantly current ripple-marksand tracks) or older (covered by a sparse pioneer vegetation made up mostly byhorse-tails and rare shrub-like ferns, eroded and degraded sedimentary textures andtracks in various stages of degradation). The oldest bars developed into stableislands or very low hills with dense vegetation and lack of discernible sedimentarytextures but tracks may be present. Animal carcasses, skeletons, isolated bones andplant remains (especially wood trunks) can be present on all types of mouth bars. Asthis picture should be a detailed image, not all of the above mentioned details aremandatory to be included but they are meant as a general idea of the setting only.Unrealistic “over-crowding” of faunal, floral and topographic details should beavoided!

The “Chicken Yard” tracksite was probably formed on top of a stacked channel-fillcomplex, so an abandoned channel / shallow oxbow pond might be the appropriatesetting for the foreground scenery with other elements of choice in the background.On the riverside, crocodiles roam and their remains can be seen. In the background,some broad, flooded sandy barrens built up within the flat margins of the lake. Somedinosaurs – medium-sized theropods and troodontids as well as Iguanodon-likecreatures – pass by there in different directions. Many more tracks and traces can beseen, having originated in days or weeks before.The detail should figure one medium-sized theropod (e.g. a basal tyrannosauroid or amoderately sized allosaurid) directly on the muddy sandy barren (possibly walkingthrough a few centimetres of water), accompanied by three troodontids, two of thelatter running in same direction, another troodontid somewhere else (= making upthree walking directions, altogether). If possible, we would encourage a viewunderwater in the very foreground of that picture, depicting for example some fishdetails or perhaps molluscs, ostracods, conchostracans etc. “under the loupe” within.Recommendations are given and should be followed:PicturesLandscapes (for the detailed scenery) like in:• drawing attached (Situation A) by Jahn Hornung © )• John Sibbick:http://archosaurmusings.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/antarctic-australasia-300.jpg• John Sibbick in David Norman’s “Dinosaurs” (slightly more photorealisticwould improve the effect)• Oscar Sanisidro in “Dinosaurs of Eastern Iberia” (Eds.: Galobart, A., Suñer, M.& Poza, B., IUP, Life of the Past Series, pp. 242/243 and 245/246)• Raúl Martín:http://www.raul-martin.net/raulmartin/new/concavenator.htmLandscapes (for the panorama) like in:• drawing attached (Situation B) by Jahn Hornung © )• “Dinosaurs Past and Present 1”, page 112/113 (but without volcano!!)• Comparable modern coast photo situation: Mexico Coast to date, perfectlycomparable[Photos]• Example for a recent washover fan (Texas coast):http://texascoastgeology.com/passes/ceday%20bayou%20&%20fan%201_25_10%20%20004asm.jpg

Plastic landscape and “dense” atmosphere like in:• Eleanor Kish’s work in “Dinosaurs Past and Present 1”, page 123Underwater details like in:• McKerrow, W.S. (1981): Palökologie. Lebensräume, Vergesellschaftungen,Lebensweise und Funktion ausgestorbener Tiere und ihre Veränderungen imLaufe der Erdgeschichte. – Franckh’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, 248 pp.,Stuttgart (identical to the original edition: The Ecology of Fossils, MIT Press,Cambridge, Massachusetts “Palecology”, and firrst published in England(1978) by Duckworth & Co.; second article within the chapter “Cretaceous”(page 63, “Lower Cretaceous”, by W. J. Kennedy, fresh water scenario withLepidotus)Mud details and view from above like in:• Czerkas, S.J. & Czerkas, S.A. (1991): Dinosaurier. Leben und Untergang dergeheimnisvollen Urzeittiere. – Natur Verlag, 248 pp; Augsburg. (identical to theoriginal edition, 1990: Dinosaurs – a Global view, published at Dragons WorldLimited.)BookBatten, David J. (ed., 2011): English Wealden fossils. – The PalaeontologicalAssociation, Field Guide to fossils 14, 769 pp.; London.Guideline list of organisms to be depictedThis is a general guideline list of possible biota to populate the reconstructions. Yourown ideas are welcome within the frame of current knowledge on earliest Cretaceouscentral European faunas and floras.PlantsShrub-sized horse-tails (Equisetum/Equisetites). Forming pioneer vegetation on freshsediment surfaces and part of the low vegetation in forested areas.Shrub-sized ferns. Various forms, providing the bulk of low vegetation (e.g.Matonidium).Bush- and tree-sized ferns (e.g. Tempskya, Onchiopsis).Tempskya schimperi. Aberrant tree-fern, abundant in the Bückeberge, probablyinhabiting swamps and immediate lake- and river-sides, forming small thickets.Populations near the waterfront might have been partly submerged (similar topresent-day Everglades cypress-swamps).Cycads and bennettitales (e.g. Zamites, Dioonites). Sparsely distributed, probablymore in the drier hinterland.Mesozoic conifers (e.g. Abietites, araucarians, cypress) and ginkgoales. Forming thebulk of dense gallery forests.

Goniopholis simus – mid-sized broad-snouted crocodile. Correct reconstruction ofbiserial dermal armour is important. AbundantPholidosaurus schaumburgensis – mid-sized long-snouted crocodile. Gharial-like inappearance. Abundant.Theropods – abundant and diverse. Plausible groups include troodontids,compsognathids, allosaurids, carcharodontosaurids, neovenatorids, spinosaurids,basal tyrannosauroids, possibly also megalosaurids, dromaeosaurids, and primitiveornithomimids. - Note that osteologically well known genera from e.g. England andSpain (e.g. Neovenator, Concavenator, Eotyrannus, Baryonyx, Pelecanimimus) aregenerally slightly younger in geological age and should only be used as a generalguideline. Primitive Birds are also possible but not evidenced by fossil record.Ornithopods – abundant and diverse. Medium- to large-sized iguanodontianornithopods are the dominant herbivores. The osteological record is sparse andnumerous genera have been distinguished recently in the Early Cretaceous. Betterknown, but slightly younger examples include Barilium and Hypselospinus,Owenodon is coeval but nearly unknown in overall anatomy. Generally the depictedornithopods should represent an intermediate phylogenetic stage betweenCamptosaurus and Iguanodon/Mantellisaurus. Track evidence shows that the threemiddle digits of the hand were already conjoined and used as walking pad and thereis no evidence of the presence of digit I of the foot as in Iguanodon and contrary toCamptosaurus. Massive animals were quadrupedal while lighter creatrues werefacultatively bipedal. Groups with various ontogenetic stages are evident. There wasprobably more than one species present.Dryosaurids and/or “hypsilophodontids” were also present but rare.Ankylosaurs – Track evidence is present of a rare ankylosaur, probably a nodosauridthat might be reconstructed similar to Hylaeosaurus or Polacanthus with a length ofup to 5-6 meters.Ceratopsia – Stenopelix valdensis should be reconstructed as a primitive ceratopsiansimilar to Yinlong downsi.Sauropods...The conditions of the contestAll participants shall send their illustrations by November 15, 2012.All contributions must be sent in up to three different formats*.tif, *.eps, and *.jpgon DVD (Hannover address) and/or via a platform for transferring large digital files,e.g. www.wetransfer.com. The first way is preferred.The contest entries will be judged by a committee of palaeontologists who specializein dinosaur tracks and the palaeoenvironments of the "German Wealden," among

other subjects. Judging will take place over the course of several committeemeetings.Winning illustrations will be owned and used for broad educational purposes by themuseum and the university. In addition, the winning artwork will be used as the coverand/or content illustrations, for the upcoming Dinosaur Tracks book, based on theDinosaur Track Symposium Oberkirchen 2011, to be published with IndianaUniversity Press (Life of the Past) some time in 2013.Further informationMore details about faunistic or landscape aspects can be given by Dr AnnetteRichter/Hannover (Annette.Richter@nlm-h.niedersachsen.de) and Dr MikeReich/Göttingen (mreich@gwdg.de) and their collaborators, respectively.

Appendix 1- panoramic view(by Jahn Hornung)

Appendix 2 – Chicken Yard Details(by Jahn Hornung)